Presbyterian Worship Questions

By David Gambrell

Presbyterian worship is known for its balance between form and freedom, seeking to be faithful to the leading of God's Word and open to the movement of God's spirit. For those who plan, lead, and participate in worship, living within this tension can be a creative challenge, one that poses many questions for our liturgical theology and practice.

Presbyterian Worship Questions and Answers draws on the author's scholarly insights, pastoral instincts, and decade of experience in the Presbyterian denomination's Office of Theology and Worship to provide accessible answers to the questions people frequently ask about Presbyterian worship along with a few we ought to ask more frequently. From the philosophicalâ€"What is worship and what does it have to do with real life?â€"to the practicalâ€"Why is there a pink candle and when do we light it?â€"Presbyterian Worship Questions and Answers seeks to shed new light on the meaning and mystery of worship in the Reformed tradition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
• Release date: Feb 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781611649345

David Gambrell

David Gambrell is Associate for Worship in the Office of Theology and Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), author of Breathing Spirit into Dust: Fifty Hymn Texts, and coeditor of the 2018 Book of Common Worship.

Book preview

Presbyterian Worship

Questions and Answers

Presbyterian Worship

Questions and Answers

David Gambrell

© 2019 David Gambrell

First edition

Published by Westminster John Knox Press

Louisville, Kentucky

19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28—10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1396. Or contact us online at www.wjkbooks.com.

Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible are copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and are used by permission.

Question 12 is adapted from David Gambrell, Seven Ways to Make Worship More Seeker-Friendly, Presbyterians Today 104, no. 10 (November 2014): 48.

Book design by Sharon Adams and Allison Taylor

Cover design by Allison Taylor

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Gambrell, David, author.

Title: Presbyterian worship questions and answers / David Gambrell.

Description: Louisville, KY : Westminster John Knox Press, 2019. |

Identifiers: LCCN 2018044497 (print) | LCCN 2019002177 (ebook) | ISBN

9781611649345 (ebk.) | ISBN 9780664263973 (pbk. : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Presbyterian Church. | Worship.

Classification: LCC BX9185 (ebook) | LCC BX9185 .G36 2019 (print) | DDC

264/.051—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018044497

Most Westminster John Knox Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, and special-interest groups. For more information, please e-mail [e-mail].

To my daughters, Miriam and Noa,

whose questions are an inspiration, challenge, and delight.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Worship Basics

  1. What is worship?

  2. Why do we worship?

  3. Do Christians really have to go to worship?

  4. What are the essentials of Christian worship?

  5. What if there are some parts of worship I hate?

2. Leadership and Participation

  6. Who directs the worship service?

  7. What does it mean to participate in worship?

  8. Doesn’t participation involve a speaking part?

  9. Why do certain people have special roles?

10. What kind of worship will attract young people?

11. What should we do with children in worship?

12. How can we make worship more seeker-friendly?

13. Why do we use songs and prayers from other cultures?

3. The Order of Worship

14. What is the order of worship?

15. Why does the order of worship matter?

16. Why do Presbyterians say confession every week?

17. Why is there an offering during worship?

18. Is it charge and blessing or blessing and charge?

19. Should Presbyterian worship be traditional, contemporary, or blended?

4. The Word

20. Is there an official version of Scripture?

21. What is the lectionary, and where does it come from?

22. How many readings are required?

23. Does the sermon have to be so long?

24. Are there other ways to proclaim the gospel?

5. The Sacraments

25. Why do Presbyterians have only two sacraments?

26. Why do Presbyterians baptize infants?

27. What is the baptismal formula? Why those words?

28. Sprinkling, pouring, immersion . . . is there a right way to baptize?

29. Can I be rebaptized?

30. What is the difference between the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, and Communion?

31. What’s the least we have to do for a valid celebration of Communion?

32. What are the proper Communion elements?

33. Is there a right way to serve and receive Communion?

34. How often should we celebrate Communion?

35. Won’t weekly Communion be less special?

36. Does the Communion liturgy have to be so long?

6. The Christian Year

37. What is the most important day of the liturgical year?

38. What are the seasons of the Christian year?

39. Why does the church year begin with Advent?

40. What is the history and use of the Advent wreath?

41. Why do we have the first Christmas service at night?

42. What is Epiphany?

43. Why do we mark people with ashes on Ash Wednesday?

44. What does Lent mean? Why is it forty days long?

45. Presbyterians don’t celebrate Lent, do they?

46. Why do people avoid saying alleluia in Lent?

47. Is it Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday?

48. What is the symbolism of palm branches?

49. Why are there so many services in Holy Week?

50. Should we have a Christian Seder?

51. Why is there a fifty-day season of Easter?

52. Is ordinary time ordinary?

53. Do Presbyterians believe in saints?

54. What about Mother’s Day and the Fourth of July?

7. Special Services

55. What is daily prayer?

56. What is confirmation?

57. What happens at an ordination?

58. What is a service of wholeness?

59. What does a wedding have to do with worship?

60. Why is the funeral called a service of witness to the resurrection?

61. Should the casket be open or closed?

8. Music and Art in Worship

62. Why do we sing in worship?

63. What is a hymn?

64. Why do Presbyterians sing psalms?

65. Do we need to have a choir?

66. What is the purpose of instrumental music?

67. What is the purpose of visual art?

68. What is the difference between art and idolatry?

9. Worship Space

69. Does it matter where we worship?

70. What are the parts of the worship space?

71. Where should the baptismal font be?

72. Is it a table or an altar?

73. What things should be on the Communion table?

10. Signs and Symbols

74. What does IHS mean?

75. What are the liturgical colors?

76. What is the meaning of the big candle?

77. What is the significance of the various clerical garments?

78. Is it appropriate to have a flag in the sanctuary?

79. Should Presbyterian sanctuaries have a cross?

Glossary

Excerpt from Presbyterian Questions, Presbyterian Answers, Revised Edition, by Donald K. McKim

Acknowledgments

I am indebted to the many teachers, colleagues, and friends who have fostered my own liturgical formation and have encouraged me to wrestle with these questions—particularly Ron Anderson, Chip Andrus, Cláudio Carvalhaes, Harold Daniels, Ruth Duck, Teresa Eisenlohr, Stan Hall, David Hogue, Myungsil Kim, Kim Long, Bill McConnell, Martha Moore-Keish, Gail Ramshaw, Joe Small, and Charles Wiley. I am grateful for the wisdom and patience of my editor, David Maxwell. And I cherish the love and support of my spouse, Sara Gambrell.

Introduction

Beginning in the sixteenth century, Protestant Reformers used catechisms—little books of questions and answers—to teach the basics of Christian faith, life, and worship. One of those documents, the 1647 Westminster Shorter Catechism, has been especially influential for generations of Presbyterians. It begins with this deceptively simple question: What is the chief end of man? (Book of Confessions, 7.001)—or to update the language—What is the meaning of human life?

Answer: To glorify and enjoy God forever. That’s our highest goal, our deepest longing, our greatest delight. And that’s exactly what Christian worship is all about: glorifying and enjoying God, now and forever. We can glorify and enjoy God in many ways—at work, at play, through service and study, with family and friends, and in personal prayer. But the clearest example comes in Christian worship, when the people of God are gathered in the presence of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. This is where we come to know the glory of God and the purpose of the life that God has given us. Of course, our services of worship don’t always measure up to this lofty goal. The church—and its worship—are always being reformed (semper reformanda) according to God’s Word and Spirit.

This is a book of questions and answers, like those Reformed catechisms. It reflects more than a decade of experience working in the national offices of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), where I answer questions about worship almost every day. Indeed, the questions in this book are inspired by those real-life e-mails, phone calls, and conversations. As in those exchanges, I always try to use these questions as opportunities for deeper reflection on worship and discipleship. My hope is that readers will find much practical guidance in these pages—but more importantly, that they will be able to practice thinking theologically about worship, developing new questions and answers of their own.

This book may be used in a variety of ways—it might be read section by section or used as a reference for particular questions, a resource for worship committees, a study for sessions seeking to renew or reform the congregation’s worship, or in the training of pastors, musicians, and other worship leaders. It is not necessary to read the questions in order. The short format of each answer might be used as a prompt for further discussion or reflection around a particular topic. A glossary in the back offers brief definitions of key terms.

This book includes numerous references to other books. As Presbyterians, our ultimate authority on worship is the Bible, as it reveals the Word of God made flesh in Jesus Christ; quotations from Scripture and other biblical references are noted in parentheses. The creeds, confessions, and catechisms of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) offer valuable theological and historical insight on worship in the Reformed tradition; these sources are indicated with numerical citations of the Book of Confessions (as in the first paragraph above). I have also included occasional quotations from John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion; these are labeled Institutes, followed by book, chapter, and section numbers. The Directory for Worship, found in our Book of Order, is the constitutional document describing the theology and practice of worship in this denomination; references to the Directory for Worship begin with W, as in W-1.0101. Finally, our Book of Common Worship (revised in 2018) provides models for worship, additional texts for various occasions, and theological and pastoral commentary on the liturgy.

To glorify and enjoy God forever. In a sense, that is the answer to every question in this book. I pray that it will inspire, inform, and equip the church and its members in fulfilling that chief end.

1

Worship Basics

The word worship comes from an Old English root: worth-ship. It suggests something or someone worthy of honor, glory, and praise. As a noun, worship can mean an act of reverence, a religious practice, or a feeling of respect. It is, in ordinary and universal use, a sign of worth.

But for Christians, it might be better to think of worship as a verb. To worship is to love the one who first loved us. To worship is to bless the one from whom all blessings flow. To worship is to show our gratitude for God’s amazing grace. To worship is to give your life to the giver of life.

For Christians, worship is a Trinitarian event. Our worship is always directed to God, through Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit. This is why many of our prayers and hymns end with some version of this Trinitarian doxology (expression of praise). The holy, triune God is the only one worthy of our worship. Jesus is our model and mediator, the one who shows us what true worship is and the one through whose grace we stand in God’s presence. The Holy Spirit reveals God’s gracious word and action and empowers our grateful response.

For Christians, worship and service are two sides of the same coin. In fact, in biblical Hebrew, worship and serve are two meanings of the same word, ‘abad (see Exod. 8:1, e.g.). The word liturgy comes from the Greek term leitourgia, meaning work of the people or public service (see Heb. 8:6). There should be no contradiction between our Sunday worship of God and our daily service of God. Our words and actions in the sanctuary are always connected with what we say and do in the street. As we are called to show our love to God in worship, so we are called to show God’s love to our neighbors in the world.

Therefore, to worship means to lead a life worth living—a life that honors the giver of our life and makes a positive difference in the lives of others. In short, it’s the only thing worth doing.

We worship to glorify and enjoy God (see the introduction). The purpose of worship is to give blessing and honor and praise and thanksgiving to God. In good times and in bad, in joy and in sorrow, we glorify the giver of our life. Even—or especially—when we’re not enjoying life very much, through the worship of God we experience the deep promise and joy of life restored and made new in Christ. We worship God because God is God. We worship because God is.

But let me tell you a secret. There are other good things that happen when we worship God. You might think of them as positive side effects or fringe benefits, overflowing from the gracious abundance of God.

Worship builds relationships and forms community. When we gather in God’s presence, we draw closer to one another in the body of Christ. Worship teaches faith and shapes discipleship. When we hear God’s word, we learn and grow as believers and followers of Christ. Worship feeds our souls and fills our hearts. When we enjoy Communion with Christ, we are nourished by the grace of God. Worship inspires action and equips for service. When we are sent out